File for sound-reproducing records.



F. w. HARRIS. FILEFOR SOUND REPRODUCING RECORDS. I

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-1.1915- I v Patented June 6, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

i w MIME!!! lama? F. W. HARRIS. FILE FOR SOU ND REPRODUCING RECORDS.

APPLICATION FlLED SEPT. I, 1915.

& m 10 10 1m 6H 6% .0 n n hm I M M. e m t P 3 Z 7 F. w. HARRIS. FILE FOR SOUND REPRODUCING RECORDS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-1,1915.

' Patented June 6, 191-6.

4 SHEETS SHEET 3.

OOOOUOOOOOOOOOOOOUOOQ D F. W HARRIS.

FILE FOR soumn REPROIDUCING'REYCCRDS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-1,1915- Patented June 6, 1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

FORD W. HARRIS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIAL FILE FOR SOUND-REPBODUCING RECORDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June c, 1916.

Continuation of application Serial No. 693,836, filed April 29, 1912. This application filed September 1, 1915. Serial No. 48,548.

To all whom z'tmay concern Be it known that I, For!) Vt. Harms, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and use i'ul File for Sound-Reproducing Records, of which the following is a specification.

, Myinvention relates to the article filing art. In that art primary records are produced by a suitable recorder. These primary records, or secondary records made from them, whenused with a suitable'reproducer will reproduce to a certain degree the original sounds. The majority of 'the phonographs now in use employ a fiat disk record from one-eighth to five-sixteenths of an inch in thickness, the records being made of molded or cast material and being made commercially in several diameters, twelve inches and ten inches being the most usual. sizes. Such records have the reproducing marking indented in spiral grooves on one or both sides of the record. The owner of a phonograph often gets a large collection of these records, and some convenient means for preserving them,.so that they are quickly available; is quite essential. I

The principal object of my invention is to provide novel means for filing and preserving such disk records. Various methods of filing have already been devised. For example, paper envelops may be used into which the records are slipped. These envelops may'then be bound together at one edge into a book-and a sutficient number of books may be provided to take care of any desired assortment of records; Such books are objectionable in that they are somewhat expensive and difficult to handle, and in that different sizes of books must be provided for They are also objectionable in that they are heavy and cumbersome, do not admit of ready indexing, and in that they'take up an undue amount of space. For the purpose of overcoming these disadvantages and objections, I have devised the filing means illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Y

My invention comprises the following novel features: (A) Individual envelops for each record, these envelops being supported solely by an upper edge and being open at a. forward edg'e to permit of the. easy in- Ysertion and removal'of records. (B) Sup-- porting means for each envelop which will bility of the record when the permit- .it to hang normally in the back of a cabinet or permit it to be drawn to a forward position so that the record can be easily removed. (C) A new form of tab for each envelop by whichthe contents may be identified. (D) Closure means for the front edge of the envelop so arranged asto exclude dust from the interior of the envelop. (E) Reinforcing means in the top of the envelop on which the envelop slides.

Of thev above structural features it is to be noted that features (A) and (B), as well as certain other novel'an'd useful features are disclosed in my application, Serial No. 693,836, filed April 29, 1912, of which this application is a continuation.

In the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a. filing cabinet equipped with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through the center of such a filing cabinet showing a record in place. therein. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of one of the envelops used in my invention with its supporting rod, a portion thereof being broken away to better illustrate the invention, and a record being shown in place therein. Fig. 4 is a section on a plane represented by the line w -m in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a partial section on a plane represented by the line as an? in Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 6 is a. sectional view of an alternate form of my invention. Fig. 7 is a partial section on the line w7.w of Fig. 6 looking in the directionof the arrows. Fig. 8 is a view ofanother alternate form of construction of my invention. Fig. 9 is a View of a novel form of spacing strip. Fig. 10 shows an alternate form of rod used in my invention. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a cabinet showing the method of taking hold of the individual envelops.

.Fig. 12 is a view showing an individual envelop withdrawn to the front of the cabinet. Fig. 13 is a view showing the accessienvelop is so withdrawn. 5

The principal feature of my'invention is.

the form ofenvelop which is used to contain the record, in combination with the suspension means for, the same. I

Previous inventors have used flexible or semi-flexible envelops either bound in books supported at the bottom, or sliding in com:

partments. So far as I am aware I am the st inventor to use a flexible envelop which .a supported wholly from the top. The preferred form of envelop is illustrated in Fig. 3. The envelop20 is open along a frontedge 21, being closed along the bottom edge 22, the back edge 23 and the top edge 24. An opening 25 is formed at the intersectionof the edges 28 and 2e, and a supporting rod 26 is passed through the envelop, projecting through the front edge 21 and through the opening 25. A rigid reinforcing member 27, which may be formedbt' wood'in semi-circular form, as

shown in Fig. 5, or which may be of canvas, or metal, if desired, is placed inside the top edge 24 above the rod 26. The forward edges 21. may be left plain, or they may preferably be reinforced as shown in the drawing in either case, a tab 30 is secured to one side of the envelop at the front edge 21. This tab is preferably secured as shown in Fig. at, in which the sides 31 and 32 of the envelop are bent over as shown at 3i and The tab 39' has projecting ends 36 and an index portion 37. "The index portion 3'? fits inside of. an opening 38 formed in the bend between-the side 32 and v the member 3%. The projecting ends 36 prevent the tab 30 from being pulled through the opening 38. For the purpose of forming a tight closure in the front edge 21 of the envelop, plush members 39 may be used, these'members being glued or-cemented to the folds 3e and. 35. These plush members 39 not only serve to make a dust proof inclosure of the front of the envelop, but they also provide a ready means for brushing any dust from the record as it is inserted in the envelop. The tabs 30 are prefrangement. I prefer, vhowever, to arrange the envelope to slide longltudmally of the rods 26. I

The envelops are preferably arranged side by side in a cabinet such as that illustrated in Fig. l, the rods being supported in a number of ways. In the method illustrated in Fig. 2, thecabinet' consists of a top 41 having a back 42 and a pair of hinged doors t3 and {it Supporting strips 45 and a6 extend across the front, and a shelf .47 extends across the cabinet above the striped Supporting members 48 are secured to the strips s5 and 46 and to the these plates serving to support the rods 26 and to prevent them from moving sidewise, so that there is no danger of crowding the envelope 20 to one end or the other of the cab net. The rods 26 are made of sufficient length to allow the envelope 20 to be pulled forward into the position shown in dotted lines at in Fig. 2. supporting the rods 26 are illustrated in Figs. 6 and 8. In Fig. 6 supporting members 53 are secured to the member 45 and to the back 42 respectively. A series of small brads 5% are driven upwardly through the strips 53,. so that the rods 26 are spaced thereby in their proper relationship and are thereby prevented from moving sidewise. In Fig. 8 the strip 4-5 and the back 42 have holes 56 and 57 drilled therein through which the rods pass and into which they fit. The holes 57 are closed by a plate If desired the strips 53 illustrated in Fig. '6 may be used without the brads 5a, in which case the rods 26 are provided with'thimbles 58, these thimbles 58 being larger in diameter than the rods 26 andserving to space them apart. When so constructed, the envelope are allowed to "have a slight sidewise motion, the thimbles when the envelop is pushed to its extreme rear position. In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 8, it is not necessary to so out the envelop, as it is not necessary to make any projection from the back 42 of the cabinet. The strips 53 and the plates 49 being located at the frontof the cabinet serve as a limiting stop against which the envelope may be pulled forward into the position shown by dotted lines at 52 in Fig. 2. The envelops can also be slid back on the rods 26'until they strike on the back 42 of the cabinet.

lVhileJ have illustrated in Fig. l a preferred form of cabinet having an upper and a lower compartment, it is obvious that my particular form of filing envelop and suspension means therefor can be used in any desired form oi' ca-binet and with any desired number of envelops.

The method of operation of the invention. is illustrated in Figs. 11, 12i-and 13. he envelops being-consecutively nilmbered, a card or book index is maintained showing in which particular numbered envelop the Alternate methods of desired record is held. While I prefer to file each recordin its individual envelop, it is of course obvious that where a cheap cabinet is required more than one record can be filed in an envelop if desired. The user of the cabinet having determined from his index the number of the envelop containing the desired record, he proceeds to draw the envelop forward by seizing the numbered tab as shown in Fig. 11 and drawing it to its extreme forward position, as illustrated in Fig. 12. The envelop then being well advanced from its fellows, it is possible for him to insert his hand lnto the envelop, as shown in Fig. 13, and to withdraw the record therefrom. Figs. 11

12 and 13 are made from actual photographs. It is, of course, not necessary to insert the hand as far as is shown in Fig. 13 unless it is desired to do so, it being possible to catch the record between the thumb and fingers. The record is then drawn forward out of the envelop, the envelopremaining stationary in the front of the cabinet as shown" in dotted lines at 52 in Fig. 2, and as shown in Figs. 1:2 and'13. As soon as the user has finished playing the particular record, he slips it back into the envelop, the tab 30 serving as a guide to direct the edge of the record into the space between the sides 31 and 32. As the record slides into the envelop the cloth members 39 brush any dust which may have accumulated from the surface of the record, the record sliding back into the position shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3 the largest size of commercial record is shown in place in the standard envelop. The length of the en-.

velop is sufiicient to allow the record to pass entirely by the plush members 39 so that they can close, thus excluding any dust from the interior ofthe envelop and record.

The envelop 20 may be made of comparatively light and tough paper, as the weight of the record tends to hold the sides straight.

While I have illustrated in Fig. 3 an envelop containin the largest size of commercial record, 1t is possible to file therein records of such smaller diameter, as shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 3. In practice the twelve inch record is at/present the largest commercial size. Ten inch records,

indicated approximately by the dotted lines 60 of Fig. 3, are quite common, and six inch records, as indicated by the dotted lines 61 of Fig. 3, are also coming into general use. Anyof these three sizes can be filed in any envelop, and it makes no difference whether these envelops are of the least commercial thickness, or whether they are five-sixteenths of an inch in thickness, this being the thickness of the Edison disk record, which is the heaviest make being shown in .commercial quantities,

, apart.

It is extremely common for the user of a phonograph to have quite a large number of records of a single production, such as an opera, and it is desirable that these records all be filed together. It very often happens that they are of different diameters and thicknesses, and it is obvious that were the envelops not suited to any size of record that it would be impossible to accomplish this. By the use of my cabinet the greatest space economy is attained, as the records hang side by side, separated only by two thin thicknesses'of paper. All the other advantages mentioned in the preamble of the. specification are also attained, as will be readily understood from the foregoing description. While I have illustrated and shown certain preferred embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to these particular embodiments, and I desire that thescope and limitations of my invention be governed wholly by the annexed claims. l

I claim as my invention l. A filing cabinet for flat circular phon0-' graph records comprising a supporting structure, a series of envelops each of sulficient size to contain at least one of said records, each of said envelops having an opening in avertical edge through which a record can be inserted or removed, and a supporting rod for each of saidenvelops on which each of said envelops is hung, each of said rods being supported by. said structure.

2. A filing cabinet for fiat circular phonograph records comprising a supporting structure, a series of envelops'each of sufiicient size to contain at least one of said records, each of said envelops having'an opening in a vertical edge through which a record can be inserted or removed, and a supporting'rod for each of said envelops on which each of said envelops is hung, each of said rods being supported by said structure, and each of said envelops being free to slide longitudinally on its supporting rod.

3. A filing cabinet for flat circular phonograph records comprising a supporting structure, a series of envelops each of sufliclent size to contain at least one of said records, each of said envelops havin an opening in a verticaliedge through WhlCh a each envelop comprising a rod adapted to be slipped through the top of the-envelop, and spacing means for holding the rods A filing cabinet comprising a supporting structure, a series 0f enveieps each having open vertical edge, and a series or" supporting members supported in said. structure, each of said enveieps being suppurted by {me 01 said ineinhei. I

G. A. fiiing cabinet eeniprising a supporting structure, series of enveieps each having an open verticai edge, and a series at srqiporting reds supported in said structure, each of said envelopes being supported. by one of said rods.

7 A filing cabinet comprising a supporting structure, a series of envelope each ha;-

ing an open vertical edge, and a series of supporting members supported 111 said structure, each of said envelops being sup-- ported by one of said members and being free to siide thereon."

' 8. A filing cabinet comprising a supporting structure, a series of enveiops each having an open vet ricai edge, and. a series of porting members supported in said eture, each 01 said enveieps being sup- 7 by one of said, members and being '0 1e thereon, each 01' said members rigidly fixed in said structure.

" fihng cabinet cou'iprising a supportseries of enveinps, each hav- FQRD V2 HARRIS. 

